The Sunday News
Business Reporter
THE Grain Marketing Board needs more than $2 million to start operations at its stock feeds manufacturing plant in Norton.
GMB general manager Mr Albert Mandizha said the plant was set to be commissioned this year if the parastatal mobilised adequate resources to complete the remaining work.
“It (stock feeds plant) is almost 98 percent complete. We need $2,3 million, that’s what we are mobilising and once we get that we should be able to start operating within 30 days, that’s how far we are.
“So there are a number of initiatives that we are undertaking to make sure we raise the amount to complete the infrastructure and installation of the gadgetry for that plant,” Mr Mandizha said.
The plant would produce stock feed for cattle, poultry, pigs, goats and dogs, which the company is already processing and selling on the local market.
“Once we complete it we will be very happy to start supporting the rebuilding of the national herd, creation of employment and this is also in line with the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset) in terms of value addition and beneficiation because we would be processing soya bean and maize; those are key raw materials in stock feed production,” Mr Mandizha said.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister responsible for crop production and irrigation development, Cde Davis Marapira said Government was excited about the developments that had taken place at the parastatal stating that the stock feed plant would play an integral role in improving the country’s livestock herd.
“As Government the events taking place at GMB are exciting for us because it’s one of the institutions that has successfully commercialised within a short space of time and its role is very important since it’s home to our strategic grain reserves.
“The opening of the stock feed plant will definitely play a pivotal role in ensuring that the country’s livestock in drought prone areas such as Matabeleland North and South, Midlands and parts of Masvingo doesn’t succumb to starvation and it would improve availability of protein to the country’s populace,” Cde Marapira said.
As one of its commercialisation and restructuring initiatives, GMB unbundled into two main units, the Strategic Grain Reserve and a Special Purpose Vehicle company with four commercial strategic business units namely commodity trading and logistics, farming and farmer support, agro processing and poly bag manufacturing.
Last year, the company invested more than $1 million in the purchase and installation of two state-of-the-art milling plants in Bulawayo and Harare. The machinery has gone a long way in improving the quality of its mealie-meal and packaging.
The company has temporarily shelved the resuscitation and expansion programme of its bakery project to concentrate on mobilising resources for the completion of its stock feed plant.
“At the moment I can say there are only two sites (Marondera and Bindura) that are doing well. However, we have put on hold the expansion to other areas because we are looking on stock feeds being able to assist in resuscitating some of the bakeries so all the resources that we are trying to channel will go to the stock feed plant,” Mr Mandizha said.
GMB has two non functioning bakeries in Masvingo and Mutare while plans were under way to open others in Gwanda and Chitungwiza.
Through its successful turnaround programme GMB managed to post profits of more than $800 000 last year.
